Babiana ringens flowering at Mamre

Image information

Description

The flowers of Babiana ringens are borne on a short side-branch of the thick, erect stem, visible behind them in the picture. The flowers grow in a two-ranked dense spike. Flowers are two-lipped with curved tubes. They are not fragrant. Tepal colour is red with more or less yellow at the corolla mouth. The upper tepal has its margins folding around the erect bunch of stamens and the style, although they sometimes break free. The apical lobe of this tepal flares open with wavy red margins, curving outwards below the dark anthers and branched stigma.

This flower may be B. ringens subsp. ringens; the one with more yellow colouring at the tepal base is possibly subsp. australis. Flowering happens late winter to mid-spring (Manning, 2007).